[Mikee]

Hi everyone.

By way of an introduction, my OH and myself stay in Pretoria (originally from JHB and Durban) and are on our way to NZ - our plans are to be there by the end of the year :raebanana ... at the moment we are waiting for PR to be approved:( . We have no kids but intend bringing along two dogs and a cat and have started that (6 month) process already. I am in IT (software developer) and my OH is a freelance photographer.

Unlike a lot of other immigrants, we have NOT been to NZ on a recce but do have friends from SA who are living there. I have done a lot of research (internet, magazines, etc) and it has all been very positive but this is still a bit of a concern for us, selling the house and going over cold turkey. So I would be very interested to hear from others (especially ex South Africans) who have gone over without doing a recce first and hear about your first impressions, good and bad, how long you have been there and any advice you can give in terms of whether I should recce first or not. From a time and money point of view, I would prefer not to recce BUT ....

Just to add, this forum is great and has a wealth of info. Also noticed that members are very willing to offer help, suggestions and advice ... kind of reminds me of the old old days in SA 25 years back when life just seemed a lot simpler.

Thanks in advance for any info / advice on this issue

Cheers
--Michael

[Brad77]

Hi

I loved NZ from the moment I first visited. Came on LSD trip end of 2005, moved over beginning of 2007.

You will love NZ I am sure. Anywhere is better than the hell hole of South Africa. You will have to decide if you like big cities or small towns and find a nice spot to live.

I am from East London and Johannesburg.

[Rob&May]

Hi Ya'all,

My hubbie and myself are in the process of applying for either PR or a work visa.
Neither of us has been to NZ and are also doing extensive research, but our minds are pretty made up... GO KIWIS!! lol

Does any one know if INTEC Diplomas are recognized in the NZ Qualifications?

[Too many dogs]

Hi Ya'all,

My hubbie and myself are in the process of applying for either PR or a work visa.
Neither of us has been to NZ and are also doing extensive research, but our minds are pretty made up... GO KIWIS!! lol

Does any one know if INTEC Diplomas are recognized in the NZ Qualifications?

Hi! Cape Townian here!:clap

We are also in the PR process and will be arriving in NZ February 2008. I was also wondering if INTEC qualifications are recognised. From the research I've done, it doesn't look like it... :no There are quite a few good distance colleges in NZ and I have been doing some research into that too - might just redo my studies when I get there.:yes

We cannot wait to get to NZ! Our house goes on the market in September and I only just now realised how soon that is!! Dogs start their innoc's in September too! How quickly time flies... In this case, that is a good thing!

Good luck with your PR!

Tracy

[Taylor's Dad]

Hey Mikee, Brad, Rob, May & Tracy

Same story here, going cold turkey. landing Dec 1st 2007.
Basically we made our minds up, bought 3 return tickets via Dubai and then started figuring out how we were going to get in and stay. must say having paid for the tickets up front has spurned us on big time.
Mikee - you dont need to see NZ first , all you need to see is SA for what it is and that will be enough to convince you.
Good Luck with all the plans

Michael , Michelle & Taylor

[wcoetsee]

Hi you all!

We are also from SA (PE/Jbay) and arrived in NZ on 15 May07 with a Work Visa. We have now being here +-6weeks. Everything also happened very quickly, decided to get out of SA in Feb07, we didnt sell our house but we sold ALL our other belongings, we have never being to NZ prior to this so it was a big step. In the process to apply for PR, PR application went in approx 2 weeks ago, other half is still waiting for open work permit which we where told last week could take another 2-3 weeks (she has being waiting for 4 weeks already).

We dont have any family or friends in NZ so things are a little lonely and we do miss our family. We left behind our 4 legged kids, 2 dogs and a cat as it is just to painful for them to get shipped over (whole process takes ages). And not to mention the cost involved.

THE GOOD: :nice1

We live in Auckland and I work in IT, currently rent a 2 bed apartment in the heart of the city, very convient as my work place is like 1min walk.But the city is not really our scnene as we came from jbay and use to the relaxed environments at the beach. We do explore NZ a awefull lot over weekends and drive to diffirent places all the time. NZ is truelly a beautiful country and is much safer than SA with regards to violant crime and also corruption.

THE BAD: :(

But my OH misses her home country and family and friends so much that we starting to question the whole reason for leaving in the 1st place, also the thought of oneday bringing up your kids without there grandparants ect. Not trying to be negative but you need to understand this, SA has MUCH better weather than NZ full stop, somedays the weather can be really miserable here and can rain for a week straight, we know that it is winter now and it is better in summer but even in winter the weather is great in SA. If youare a surfer like I am then SA beats NZ hands down as the quality of the surf/waves here do not compare to SA.

My personal opinion: :uhoh

Not sure what our outcome will be but immigrating and moving away from your family and home country varies from person to person and the success is based on a individuals priorities in life.

Just remember... You never know what you had until you loose it...

[Brad77]

Thanks for the honest post.

I encourage you to stay. Please think carefully about this....they may not have grandparents around now but they will have an awesome future in a civilised country. SA is going down fast. Crime will touch and is touching everyone. Imagine going back and someone gets raped or murdered. I wouldnt be able to live with myself....

[Too many dogs]

Thanks for the honest post.

I encourage you to stay. Please think carefully about this....they may not have grandparents around now but they will have an awesome future in a civilised country. SA is going down fast. Crime will touch and is touching everyone. Imagine going back and someone gets raped or murdered. I wouldnt be able to live with myself....

I just noticed you live in Rotorua... We have heard that it is just NOT a good place to live. What are your thoughts?

Petrified of coming over cold turkey, but even more petrified of staying in SA!:no

We have no kids, but I am scared for us. We can't afford our house anymore, and I have had 8 close calls in the last 4 months (armed robbery, hijacking etc). I am too scared to walk to the Spar 3 blocks away from our house! I don't go near an ATM after 5pm and I try not to leave the house after 6. This is not life.

Did you know that 2 children died as a result of the recent government strikes - they were refused hospital care. One was turned away and died of Pneumonia and the other was not given any care and died from 3rd degree burns! I ask you, when did getting a salary increase become more important than the life of a child?

We have to get out of here!

I envy you - even if you are in the 'feared' Rotarua!:D

Kind regards

Tracy

[Brad77]

The feared Rotorua????? WHAT??

OK, Rotovegas is not my 1st choice of where to live in NZ but I am REALLY enjoying it here for now. Got a job here.

Positives:

Beautiful
Stunning lakes
Forests nearly
Accessible to coast (Mt Maunganui) and to the mountains and snow
Small town, with everything you need
Lots of touristy things to do

Negatives:

Some say the 'smell' of sulphur, though I dont smell it much, maybe once in 5 days away from the lake

Has a large Maori population with associated gang problems and poor areas, though compared to SA it is all Micky Mouse stuff.

I was really nervous about coming here but I am loving every minute of it. Roto has a bad name, mainly from crime problems in the 70s and 80s. Things have changed! This is a stunning little town and I am really happy here. Long term I will probably move to Christchurch or Welly cause I like big cities but for now this is home.

[CuriousPTA]

Hi Mike

We are also from Pretoria and it seems like we are on similar timelines. We are aiming to be in NZ by January as my kids need to start schools there. Good luck with all your plans and let me know if you ever want to chat to compare notes...or need to just share the overwhelming experience with someone who are also chin deep in it!

Regards

[annette]

Hi All from SA! We are submitting our papers for work visas next week! Whoohoo! Myself and the little one are leaving mid Nov and OH is joining us Mid Dec! I have been to NZ in May. I loved it! I can not wait to go to NZ and I am counting the weeks! We are from Edenvale and will be heading to Auckland. I have a job offer and we are taking a container with! Thanks to my future employer! It is so great to see some SA's here!

[Johnson]

Hi Annette,

How did you arrange a job in advance?

Also in SA but in the earlier stages than the rest here - still busy having a good think and doing research.

[annette]

Oh, I work in Logistics and we have worldwide partners, so I contacted the office in AKL and they have been great. Offered me a job after talking to me in the phone!! I was there in May to meet everyone and have a look around! Now we are off in 11 weeks! Yeah!